Although the holidays are traditionally a time of joy and celebration, the pace of the season can be stressful for kidney failure patients who depend on frequent visits to the dialysis clinic for life-sustaining treatments. For those seeking a less hectic environment in which to receive treatment, Fresenius Medical Care North America (FMCNA) recommends patients consider home dialysis.

Fresenius Medical Care North America operates more than 900 home therapy programs across the country ...

Fresenius Medical Care North America operates more than 900 home therapy programs across the country. Many patients find home dialysis treatments provide greater schedule flexibility. Additionally, home dialysis patients may experience health benefits - including fewer dietary restrictions and better blood pressure control with less medication. (Photo: Business Wire)

This holiday season, FMCNA, the nation's leading network of dialysis facilities, is launching the Home for the Holidays initiative, a nationwide effort to increase awareness of home dialysis, and the company's UltraCare at Home® program, which provides patients with continuous home dialysis education, training and monitoring, as well as round-the-clock clinical and technical support.

Many patients find it more convenient and less stressful to undergo dialysis in the comfort of their own homes, making it easier to schedule treatments around jobs, exercise, hobbies and other activities. Home dialysis patients may experience health benefits - including fewer dietary restrictions and better blood pressure control with less medication. Home treatments also eliminate the need to arrange transportation to and from the dialysis clinic three days a week.

Henry Jackson of Selma, Ala., enjoys the flexibility of home dialysis, which allows him to travel frequently without scheduling dialysis clinic treatments along the way. "My wife and I love to travel," he says, "and it's really easy for us to just pack up my equipment and go. In fact, we're planning trips to Tennessee and Florida for early 2014."

FMCNA has seen a 150 percent increase in home dialysis patients during the past five years. To accommodate this growing demand, the company now operates more than 900 home therapy programs, 84 of which are free standing support centers dedicated entirely to home dialysis patients. All of FMCNA's Certified Home programs teach patients and their caregivers how to administer dialysis treatments at home, and offer additional support as needed. These full-service facilities also offer assistance with scheduling vascular access placements to help new patients make smooth transitions onto home dialysis.

"We're committed to educating patients about the advantages of home dialysis," said Keith Lester, FMCNA's vice president of home therapies. "We believe that every patient who wants to dialyze at home should be given the option. While it may not be suitable for everyone, many patients experience a significant improvement in quality-of-life by receiving their dialysis treatments at home. Patients may dialyze at home, but they are never alone, as we provide support every step of the way."

Dialysis is a process that cleans waste products and removes extra fluids from the blood when a person's kidneys fail. Dialysis patients typically require treatment on an ongoing basis unless they receive a kidney transplant. Home dialysis treatments include: hemodialysis, which uses an external filter to remove extra fluid and wastes from a patient's blood; and peritoneal dialysis, which circulates a cleansing dialysate fluid through the patient's abdominal cavity to draw toxins out of the blood through the body's thin peritoneum membrane.

For more information about FMCNA's "Home for the Holidays" program, visit: http://www.ultracare-dialysis.com/FreseniusMedicalServices/UltraCareAtHomePrograms/HomeForTheHolidays.aspx

About Fresenius Medical Care North America

Through our leading network of more than 2,150 dialysis facilities in North America and our vascular access centers, laboratory, pharmacy and affiliated hospitals and nephrology practices, Fresenius Medical Care provides renal services to hundreds of thousands of people throughout the United States, Mexico and Canada. We are also the continent's top producer of dialysis equipment, dialyzers and related disposable products and a major supplier of renal pharmaceuticals.

For more information about the company, visit www.fmcna.com; for information about patient services, visit www.ultracare-dialysis.com.

Media:
Full & By
Jaclyn Petros, 617-638-0022 / voice
petrosj@fullandby.co
or
Company:
Fresenius Medical Care
Rosemary Heinold, 781-699-4171 / voice
rosemary.heinold@fmc-na.com